Ventilator



June 12, 1934.

G. A. MITCHELL VENTILATOR Filed Jan. 11, 1932 Iz/vif 660296,12 /W//ve/APatented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT F'FICE Claims.

lThis invention relates generally to ventilator horns such as are usedin the decks of boats for ventilation of interior compartments, and hasfor its object the provision of means for preventing 5 water spraywashing within the mouth 0f the horn from passing through theventilator.

It has been usual heretofore to provide ventilator covers for use overthe ventilators during rough weather. 'I'he use of such ventilators isobjectionable, however, first because it puts the ventilator out of useduring such time as the covers are in place, and second, because of thebother involved in mounting and dismounting them to meet conditions asthey are encountered.

In accordance with the present invention, briefly stated, there isprovided in the horn a means for filtering or separating out any waterentering therein. This means takes the form of a series of obstructionsor baffles in the ventilator passage, which catch the entering water andconduct it outside the horn by way of a suitable drain, while permittingthe air stream to pass on through. Further the ventilator is configuredin the form of a trap, which collects and holds the water until it candrain out.

The invention will be better understood from the following detaileddescription of a present preferred embodiment, reference for thispurpose being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the ventilator horn mounted in place inthe boat deck;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, being takenon the broken line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

j In the drawing numeral 10 designates the slanting deck or ceiling of aboat, and numeral l1 my ventilator horn mounted therein. Horn 11 may bedescribed as being in the form of a trap, the bell 12 of the hornconverging rearwardly from 15 its mouth and turning downwardly to acomparatively slender neck 13, which merges into an enlarged chamber 14turned forwardly under bell part 12, the lower wall portion of the bellforming the upper central wall of chamber 14, as clear- V ly shown inFig. 2.

At the forward upper end of chamber 14, directly below the mouth of thehorn, the air passage turns downwardly through a cylindrical conduit 16,which is formed integrally with the bell and the chamber walls, andextends downwardly below chamber 14 to be taken in an opening in theceiling. Since the ceiling is usually on la' slant, a Wedge shapeleveling block 20 is used on the ceiling to give a horizontal surfacefor the mounting of the horn. Cylinder l16 is formed with a flange 21which provides a shoulder at the level of the lower edges 22 of thewalls of chamber 14, and said shoulder and wall edges 22 rest down onblock 20, as shown. rl'flfie lower end of cylindrical conduit 16 isscrew-threaded to take a screw threaded holding ring 24, and anotherwedge shape leveling member 25 may be used between said ring and theunder surface of the ceiling.

The horn as thus described is preferably cast in one piece, leaving,however, the lower side of chamber 14 open. This opening is closed by aplate 30 which rests on block 20, Plate 30 is shown with an upwardlyfacing marginal shoulder 31, which provides a seat for a flange 32 eX-tending inwardly from the walls of chamber 14. Plate 30 need not befastened to the main ventilator casting, for as so confined by flange 32it cannot be displaced. This two part construction for the ventilator ispreferred for simplicity of construction, as well as of assembly;although any other found suitable may be used.

Plate 30 carries the obstruction or baille means 34 which extendsupwardly throughout chamber 14, and is designed to interrupt the passageof water and divert it from the air stream. This obstruction means ispreferably in the form of a plurality of pins 36 set vertically in plate30, and offset or staggered, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to force the airstream and Water into tortuous paths, and thereby enforce repeatedcontact of the water particles with the pins.

The ventilator horn has been described as formed with a restriction justahead of chamber 14, so that the velocity of flow is increased at thatpoint; but just beyond, within enlarged chamber where the cross sectionof the air passage is increased, 14, the velocity of flow is reduced.The pins do not bar the passage of the air, which passes through them tothe upper open end of conduit 16, and so down through the cei1- ing. Anywater spray entering the horn, how ever, comes into contact with thepins and adheres thereto. The flow of air around and past the pinscreates a depression in pressure at the rear of each pin, and drops ofwater collected from the air stream and clinging to the pins are blownaround to this depression region at the rear of the pins, where thevelocity of air flow is insufficient to break them away. The drops ofwater thus clinging to the rear surfaces of the pins then flow down thepins to plate 30, and the water thus collected in the bottom of chamber14 is drained out through an outlet 37 at the rear.

5 Sucient of the pins are of course provided to collect all of the waterfrom the air stream by the time the air passes through chamber 14. Inpractice, these provisions are found very effective in removingcomparatively iinely divided water particles from the air stream.

In case a large amount of water enters the ventilator at any one time,this water is trapped in chamber 14 until it can drain out through theloutlet, the upper edge 38 of conduit 16 being above the highest waterlevel that will occur in the chamber.

Thus in addition to the action of the pins in obstructing the ventilatorpassage so as to separate out water particles carried by the air stream,the horn acts as a trap for the water; and this configuration of thehorn alone is responsible for removing a large amount of water from theventilator.

It is not to be thought that the pin form oi 25,'` obstruction is theonly one that can be used, as

the invention contemplates any suitable form of water collectingobstructions that will serve the purpose described. It will therefore beunderstood that the drawing and description are to be considered merelyas illustrative and not restrictive on the broader claims appendedhereto, for various changes in design, structurev and arrangement may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of said claims.

I claim:

1. A ventilator embodying a horn, a water collecting chamber in saidhorn, and a plurality of water collecting pins vertically mounted insaid chamber and around and between which the wa- YVter carrying airstream passes in moving through said chamber, said pins creatingregionsof pressure depression at their rear sides whereby waterparticles caught thereby move around to said depression regions and arethereby enabled to Aclingfto and travel down the pins, and a water drainin the bottom of said chamber.

2. A ventilator embodying a horn, a water coles i' lecting chamber insaid horn, and a plurality of staggered water collecting pins verticallymounted in said chamber and around and between which the water carryingair stream passes in moving through said chamber, said pins creatingregions of pressure depression at their rear sides whereby waterparticles caught thereby move around to said depression regions and arethereby enabled to cling to and travel down the pins, and a water drainin the bottom of said chamber.

3. A ventilator embodying an air collecting horn converging to arelatively slender neck, a chamber of relatively enlarged cross sectionleading from saidv slender neck and wherein the air velocity is reduced,a plurality of vertically dis'- posed baffle members distributed alongand entirely across said enlarged chamber around and between which thewater carrying air stream passes in moving through said chamber, saidbaiile members creating regions of pressure de pression at their rearsides whereby water particles caught thereby move around to saiddepression regions and are thereby enabled to cling to and travel downsaid members, and a water drain in the bottom of said chamber.

4. A ventilator of the character described, embodying a horn convergingrearwardly from its mouth to a restricted downwardly turned neckportion, a chamber of relatively' enlarged cross section leading fromsaid restricted neck and 105 wherein the air velocity is reduced, saidchamber turned forwardly under the horn, a conduit communicating withthe forward upper end of said chamber, and vertically disposed watercollecting bale members distributed along and entirely 110 across saidchamber.

5. A ventilator of the characterdescribed, embodying a horn convergingrearwardly from its mouth to a restricted downwardly turned neckportion, an enlarged chamber leading from said 115 restricted neck andwherein the air velocity is reduced, said chamber turned' forwardlyunder the horn, a conduit communicating with the forward upper end ofsaid chamber, and a plurality of vertical pins mounted in said chamber.

GEORGE A. MITCHELL.

